A Hero's Welcome
by Cherry Blossom Haiku
Summary: They are the leaders, the main characters of their story. They are the heroes to the world around them. This is their life, their stories, and their feelings. Hints of SpecialShipping, MangaQuestShipping, FranticShipping, and CommonerShipping. OneShot


**Her's a new story for you guys to munch down on. A oneshot I've been working on. I think this is one of my best stories yet. I'm really proud of it. I own nothing except my ideas.**

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_A Hero's Welcome_

Red never slowed down. With him it was always a race against the world, a triathlon against time. He had no reason to look behind him, he only faced ahead. He was anxious to see what adventures lay ahead of him, not bothering to think back to the people he left behind that didn't make a significant impact, the adventures he already had. He wanted to see more, learn more. He wanted to experience all that the world had to offer, to continue growing stronger. He wanted, no, needed to feel strength surge through his veins like blood. If not for him, then for his Pokémon. If not for them, then for his friends and family. They were important to him, and he wants them to see that he is important, that he is strong.

Because something Red never does is forget. He sometimes goes off track, but he never loses his way. He knows his mom worries for him. He knows that Professor Oak expects great things from him. He knows that Pallet Town was, and always will be, his home. His sanctuary, his safe point.

He thinks back on his friends, never the dangers, just his friends. Because they are close enough to be family, and that they would never leave him alone and in the dark. Especially not his three closest friends. Green would tell him that he's weak, but Red knew better. The leader of the Viridian City Gym would jump through flames to come to his rescue. Blue would flirt, she would tease, but she would never abandon. She knew all too well the feeling of being alone, and for that he felt _lucky_. He knew that she would fight with all she had to make him safe.

And there was Yellow. Pure, sweet, Yellow. She was the one person whom Red was sure would never let him down. If Green and Blue ever lost their way and left him, Yellow would stand by him. She barely knew him when she went on her journey to save him. But she went anyway, because she knew he was _special_. And he knew she was _special_ too. He felt connected to her in a way he would never have imagined before. He loves her with his all, and he knows she feels the same.

Red can't imagine leaving them behind. And he won't. He wouldn't. He couldn't. They're his friends, his family, and his world.

But he is a fighter. He must always look to the next battle, to the next adventure. Because he fights for his world. He fights for them.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Gold never blends into the crowd. With his hair, his hat, his goggles, and his scooter, everybody recognizes him now. Not just the citizens of New Bark Town, but people from all around the Johto region. Chris blamed this on the stunt at the Pokémon League. Silver agreed. Gold blamed it on his 'charming personality' and 'dashing good looks'. But deep down, he knows Chris is right. But he never looks back on it, he only looks forward. Because he believes that one day, people are going to know him for him, and not for some crazy stunt he pulled when he was eleven.

He's going to be a top breeder, he decided. He's going to raise Pokémon for generations to come. Healthy Pokémon, but still strong. He's going to teach other kids how to raise Pokémon as well, so that everybody can feel the joy of holding a hatching egg in their hands, and see the miracle of life for themselves. Silver thinks it's a pipe dream. He thinks Gold would make a good gym leader, a Pokémon champion even. He believes that Gold should keep breeding up at the side, focus on his fighting. Thankfully, Chris believes in Gold's dream. She knows there's more to life than fighting, and raising strong Pokémon to befriend anyone would matter more to the world than having more Pokémon raised solely for fighting. Gold blames Silver's attitude on the way he was raised. Besides, Gold knows Silver cares for Pokémon, just in a different way than he does.

Gold knows Silver is his best friend. They had a rocky start, sure, but after awhile, they became closer. They became friends. They became partners. Together the defeated the masked man. They had help, but Gold couldn't help but think that they were the heroes of that battle. It was selfish of him, he knew that. All who fought were heroes, but he had this feeling that everyone thought that he and Silver were the true heroes. He has a lot of respect for Silver, and he knows that Silver feels the same. And great friendships are always based on respect. In and out of the battlefield of course. Because, in all honesty, Gold really respected Silver's terrible past, and was determined to help him in any way possible.

Chris influenced him a lot, and she wasn't about to let Gold forget it. She was brash, brave, and could be very girly at times, but that's why he loves her. Even though he would never say it to anyone (though he had a shaking suspicion that Silver knew of his infatuation), he was sure of his feelings. He didn't want to ruin anything by letting anyone know, especially not her. He hoped that one day she would feel the same about him, and he wasn't going to speed things up. Everything has to happen at its own pace, and his infatuation was no exception. He knew she would hurt him if he told her, but Gold felt like a Prince on a _quest_. And she was the princess, waiting for him to come home to her.

But he keeps stepping forward to fight, knowing one day he will help the world another way. He will help children learn more about Pokémon. To help them love and cherish Pokémon for all time.

It's because he's a breeder. And even though he doesn't want to fight, he wants to change the world.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Ruby never wants to forget why he went on his journey. He wants his Pokémon to resemble the most important pillars of contest etiquette: cuteness, beauty, intelligence, strength, and coolness. He believes in these pillars religiously. He can't stand the uncouth behavior of his father and Sapphire. He has a shred of respect for Emerald, because even though he battles, it's not his first love. He knows that sometimes, fighting is unavoidable and practically mandatory. He also knows, to his obvious disgust, that he is considered a battling prodigy. He never wished to be a warrior; therefore, he will never be one. But he knows that he's wrong.

Ruby is more like his father than he cares to admit. They share the same face, and battling style. But Ruby knows that he's different as well. His father could care less about his Pokémon looked. If they were matted in mud, Norman didn't care. But Ruby knows that taking care of your Pokémon's looks were important. Too much mud could cause for slower speeds and lowered defenses. Therefore, he took matters into his own hands. Against his father's protests, he bathed the gym leader's Pokémon, and groomed them to perfection. Not only were the Pokémon stronger, but they were happier as well. Even Norman couldn't help but notice that their performances during gym battles were much better than they had ever been. But Ruby wasn't satisfied. He wanted his father to be proud of him. Something that wouldn't be accomplished without him becoming a battler, a warrior, a heathen. That scared Ruby. It scared him a lot. Why was it that his father couldn't just accept him for him?

Ruby did his best to accept people. He hated judging people before knowing them. He had gradually grown to accept Emerald, despite his battling hobby, because Emerald was different. The younger boy knew what it was like to feel alone, to be abandoned. Ruby felt for the boy, and when Emerald needed a hand, his was always outstretched to help.

He grew to accept Sapphire as well, although her battling habit was much worse than Emerald's. She was his best friend, his greatest rival, and the love of his life. They were young, and he knew this, but he couldn't help but know that they would be in love forever. And he knew, he always knew, that Sapphire would feel the same if he asked her. And maybe one day he would, but now wasn't the moment. Because their love is _frantic _and unstable. He wants to wait for things to smooth out a bit before making a move.

Ruby can't imagine life any differently. He loves the thrill of being handed a ribbon, and he enjoys the suspense of a battle. And he'll keep looking forward to the new day, and to a new challenge.

Because Ruby is a coordinator, he sees beauty in everyday, and he wants to share that vision with the world.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Diamond never wanted to go on the journey he went on. He wanted to focus on his comedy, if not for him, then for Pearl. He wasn't a fighter, he wasn't anything. He was just Dia, soft Dia who couldn't hurt a fly. He would never be able to catch a Pokémon like his hero, Red. He knew the only thing he was capable of doing was comedy. Everyone said so, and he believed it. But, as he sometimes muses, he found a part of him he never knew about before.

When he met the other dex holders, he noticed that there were three different roles for each group. There was the girl, usually only one, but two in the Kanto group that he noticed. Platina would get along with the other four; he knew this to be fact. Pearl belonged with the other leaders, Ruby, Gold, and his hero, Red. And Dia knew where he belonged, with the sidekicks. They were perceptive, strong, but compared to their leaders, unimpressive. Diamond knew that's what he was: unimpressive. But when Platina, Pearl, and himself met Professor Oak, he was quickly declared the leader of the Sinnoh Dex Holders.

While his two companions seemed unfazed by this announcement, Dia was dumbstruck. How could he, Diamond, be considered more of a leader than his best friend, Pearl? Compared to his friend, Dia was weak, pathetic even. Platina commented that the role fit Dia perfectly, a comment that he couldn't comprehend. When the trio had been sent to guard the lakes, he was sent off to special training because he was weak. After he had been named the leader, he walked around aimlessly, not knowing how to react. Eventually Red, his long time hero, came to ask him what was wrong. At first dumbstruck from Red's presence, he slowly opened up about his feelings. His hero just laughed, and said it was his love for Pokémon and his team spirit. That even though he started off weak, he ended up strong, and that he was the defensive force of his team, whilst his companions are more brute force. And, furthermore, he bonded with Mesprit.

When Diamond asked Red why his bond with the lake Pokémon was important, Red just smiled. As Dia would later learn, Mesprit was largely considered to be the leader of the lake trio. He realized now, that even though he started his journey mentally unsure of himself, that he eventually surpassed his friends in skill and strength. Dia never thought this possible. But he became a part of himself that was hidden until that moment. He decided to accomplish the dream he had since he was little. The dream that was bigger than that of being a comedian. His true dream. Diamond knew that now he would need to train himself to achieve it. But he needed to do it alone.

But what would he tell Pearl? They had done everything together. Shared everything. People barely knew one without the other, but Dia was determined to change that. Peal's dream was now different from his own. Pearl's passion in life was comedy, and Dia respected that. But now that dream no longer included his best friend. Pearl was as dear to Dia as a brother, but even brothers can be together, but apart. Diamond hoped that Pearl understood the sentiment. And he did, much to Dia's relief, but he was disappointed that Dia had never told him about this dream. And so Pearl let Dia go chase his dream, even if he was no longer a part of it.

But what would he tell Platina? This was the girl that got Dia started, and he knew that he would do anything to protect her. After all, he was her bodyguard. But telling Platina was a different challenge than telling Pearl. She was a princess, but he was nothing, a _commoner. _But still he told her. He told her everything he felt. He told her his feelings, told her he was going away for awhile. She looked at him with tears in her eyes, and told him everything she felt. She told him her feelings, told him that even if he was going away for awhile, she would wait for him. And Dia left with the satisfaction of being wanted, of being needed, and more importantly, being stronger.

Dia could never imagine doing this before. But now he has new found confidence in himself, and he never wants to let that feeling leave.

And now that he knows he is a leader, he wants to learn how to be one, so that he can help lead the world.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Ten years down the road, Red is happier than he ever was before. Although he was eventually defeated at Indigo Plateau, he still felt a sense of accomplishment. The feeling of achievement would forever be raw and new in his blood. Ten years later, he's still looking ahead. But this time he's not looking for himself, but for his little daughter. With his hair, and Yellow's amber eyes, she was a sight of beauty. And Red was happy that he helped shape the world she would live in. Little Orange would live in a world of beauty and love because of him. And he couldn't have felt like more of a hero than now.

Ten years ago, Gold couldn't imagine being where he is now. With a beautiful wife, a wonderful life, and a daycare to raise Pokémon in, Gold has never been happier. Crystal's dream of capturing every Pokémon always continues; there's always going to be new ones to find and record. But Gold is grateful that she always comes home where she's loved. Where she doesn't have to work, where he can take care of her and the Pokémon; the two things he loves most in the world. Before, he was merely a leader, an exceptional trainer and fighter. But as he sees children leaving his daycare with a Pokémon he raised especially for them, he feels a new sense of accomplishment. He feels like a hero, because he's really changed the world around him.

For ten years, Ruby has known that he loved Sapphire. And now, here on his wedding day, he wonders what life would be like if he never met her for a second time. He would never have become a gym leader, that's for sure. He found a way to keep his Pokémon beautiful and strong, and it's thanks to her that he's done this. While she hands out Pokémon to new trainers at the lab in Littleroot Town, and he battles those same Pokémon at his gym in Petalburg City, he loves to see how things worked out. But he lives now, in the present, and knows that nothing is worth more than the feeling of knowing that she will be his forever. And he's truly grateful that now, he can be a hero to her, and to every child who is willing to listen to his story.

It's been ten years since Diamond has been home. He has trained and fought. And now he's going back to his small hometown, Twinleaf Town. He's not sure about what he'll find there. Will it have changed? Is it bigger? Will people still remember him? He walks into to town and sees that it's the same. Dia smiles inside. It felt good to have a place in the world that never changed. He went and saw his mother, who was ecstatic about seeing him again. And he walked down the street to Pearl's house. Would he be there? Did he keep in touch with Platina? As he opened the door to see two smiling, but surprised, faces. Pearl hugged him right away. Why didn't he write? And Platina, beautiful Platina, smiled with tears in her eyes. She ran into his arms and told him she loved him. Diamond returned to her the champion of the Sinnoh region. And maybe someday, years down the road, he would be a hero as well.

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**Well, thats it. That's the story. I hope you like it. I think the Dia part is a bit rushed though. **

**Live Long in Song**

**Cherry Blossom Haiku  
**


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